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BEER GUY

The format includes cold beer and hot music through the afternoon. At least three Asheville breweries will be there — Highland, French Broad and Asheville Brewing — and there's a strong chance that more will participate, said Larry Hawkins, general manager of the Asheville Tourists baseball club, which is throwing the party.

Empire Distributing, Budweiser of Asheville and Skyland Distributing will also bring a nice selection of craft beer. In all, figure on 40-50 breweries taking part.

No, there is not a baseball game that day. But everyone who comes gets an undated ticket to a future game. The layout may be a little different than last year, to draw more visitors off the concourse and into the stands.

The festival will benefit both the Asheville Tourists Children's Fund and the Asheville Brewers Alliance, the nonprofit group representing Asheville's breweries.

Tickets are $10 (designated driver, no beer), $20 (general admission), $30 (heavy hors d'oeuvres) and $40 (a big meal in the Citizen-Times Clubhouse). The premium tickets also include a T-shirt, and everyone gets a mug.

The Tourists are hoping for a crowd of 2,000 this time, up from last year's turnout of 1,200. As more details develop, we'll pass them along.

Beer but no ballgame

The Tourists are also planning two more Thirsty Thursday discount brew promotions without a baseball game. One is 7-10 p.m. Thursday and the other is Aug. 26.

For $5 admission, you get national draft beers for a buck, with craft beers for $2. The band Crocodile Smile will play. Be sure to bring that ID. The Tourists tried this once before, with so-so success, but Hawkins is hoping that with more promotion this time, the event will get a bigger crowd.

Brewer moves

In a big boost for Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem, brewer T.L. Adkisson has joined that team after the July 4 closing of Ham's Restaurant and brewery in Greenville, N.C. Adkisson has been a regular visitor to local brew festivals and is well known in Asheville's beer community.